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The father of a young victim remembers his daughter as bright, creative and loving

12 girls and eights boys were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School

Six adults were also murdered, in addition to the mother of the suspected shooter

Authorities in Newtown, Connecticut, put together more pieces of the puzzle Saturday to explain what happened inside Sandy Hook Elementary School, one day after a gunman opened fire there, killing 20 students and six adults.

All the victims died from gunshot wounds and were struck more than once, according to H. Wayne Carver II, chief medical examiner for the state of Connecticut. Their deaths were classified as homicides.

"I've been at this for a third of a century. My sensibilities may not be the average man, but this probably is the worst I have seen or the worst that I know of any of my colleagues having seen," Carver told reporters.

The deadly school shooting shattered the quiet of this southern New England town and left a nation reeling over the number of lives, particularly young lives lost. It also reignited the perennial debate about gun laws in America.

President Barack Obama spoke tearfully about the massacre on Friday and is scheduled to travel to Newtown on Sunday to meet with families of the victims. He will deliver remarks during an evening vigil.

Law enforcement officials have identified the gunman as 20-year-old Adam Lanza. He apparently took his own life, after taking that of his mother and the 26 people at the school.

Lanza was found dead next to three guns, a semi-automatic .223-caliber Bushmaster rifle and two pistols made by Glock and Sig Sauer, a law enforcement source told CNN. All belonged to his mother.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings 80 photos

Reaction to Newtown school killings80 photos

Reaction to Newtown school killings – Candles burn next to a lighted tree at a makeshift shrine in Newtown, Connecticut, commemorating the victims of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Erica Simmons rings the campus bell at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, during a nationwide commemoration December 21, marking a week since the Newtown, Connecticut, mass shooting. Church bells rang out across the country at 9:30 ET Friday to remember those who died in the gun rampage.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A woman pauses at a streetside memorial during a moment of silence on December 21 in Newtown.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Connecticut State Police block the road to Sandy Hook Elementary School during a moment of silence on December 21. A week ago, a gunman forced his way into the school and shot and killed 26 people, including 20 children.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A woman bows her head in Newtown's Sandy Hook village on December 21.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People observe a moment of silence for the school shooting victims at the Blue Colony Diner in Newtown on December 21.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Children in Newtown, excluding Sandy Hook Elementary, return to classes on Tuesday, December 18, four days after the shooting at the elementary school.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, D-Rhode Island, holds a news conference with the Brady Campaign to discuss gun violence. In attendance with the Brady Campaign were several survivors of gun violence and family members of victims of gun violence.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Members of the human rights group Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption light candles showing the names of those killed during the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, during a prayer vigil in front of the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines on December 18.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Children light candles to pay their respects to the victims of the Newtown, Connecticut, shooting at the main square in Tirana, Albania, on Monday, December 17. The deadly gun rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School has provoked strong reactions from around the world.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Protesters march on the National Rifle Association's Capitol Hill lobbyist offices in Washington on December 17.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks out for stronger gun control at a press conference at City Hall on December 17. Bloomberg, co-chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, was joined by victims and survivors of gun violence.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Chris Foye, whose son Chris Owens was killed by a stray bullet in 2009, stands with other survivors and family members of gun violence at Bloomberg's press conference on December 17 in New York.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People pay their respects on December 17 at a makeshift shrine in Newtown to the victims of Friday's elementary school shooting. Funerals began Monday in the Connecticut town.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange hold a moment of silence on December 17 in honor of the shooting victims.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Young people mourn at Newtown High School before a memorial service attended by President Obama on Sunday, December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – President Barack Obama waits to speak at an interfaith vigil for the shooting victims from Sandy Hook Elementary School December 16 at Newtown High School.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Mourners comfort one another December 16 before U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at an interfaith vigil for the shooting victims.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Two women embrace before the interfaith vigil at Newtown High School on Sunday evening.

Reaction to Newtown school killings – A young boy walks past Christmas trees set up at a makeshift shrine to the shooting victims in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Ty Diaz is kissed by his mother, Yvette, at a memorial down the street from Sandy Hook on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Teddy bears, flowers and candles in memory of those killed are left at a memorial down the street from the school on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Two teenagers embrace at a makeshift shrine to the victims in Newtown on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Nuns pay their respects at a makeshift shrine to the victims on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Members of Sisters of Christian Charity go to lay flowers in front of the Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 16 in Newtown.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A woman receives a hug as she leaves morning service December 16 at Trinity Church in Newtown near the elementary school.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Parishioners pay their respects to the victims of the elementary school shooting while attending Mass at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Police officers honor the victims of the school shooting at the St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church on December 16 in Newtown.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – The Jacksonville Jaguars have a moment of silence in honor of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims before their game against the Miami Dolphins on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A parishioner kneels in front of a makeshift memorial at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A police officer removes flowers from a busy intersection on December 16 in Newtown. Police said they were afraid the memorial, left for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, would cause a traffic hazard.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A woman hugs her daughter on the steps of Trinity Church on December 16 in Newtown.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Angel wood cutouts for each of the 27 victims are set up on hillside in Newtown on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People in Bangalore, India, hold cards and photographs of the slain at a candlelight vigil outside a Catholic church on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans shows his glove in remembrance of the victims before the start of a game against the Indianapolis Colts on December 16 in Houston.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Donna Soto, right, mother of Victoria Soto, the first-grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who was shot and killed while protecting her students, hugs her daughter Karly while mourning their loss at a candlelight memorial at Stratford High School on Saturday, December 15, in Stratford, Connecticut.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Firefighters kneel to pay their respects at a makeshift memorial near the school in Newtown on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A child lights a candle at a memorial filled with flowers, stuffed toys and candles outside of Saint Rose of Lima Church near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Candles light up a memorial outside of Saint Rose of Lima Church in Newtown.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Lucas, Kelly and Michael DaSilva pray and embrace at a makeshift memorial near the school in Newtown.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People are overcome with emotion Saturday at a makeshift memorial near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Residents arrive Saturday to pay tribute to the victims of an elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A couple carry balloons to place at a curbside shrine to in Newtown on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A mother and daughter attend a prayer service at St. John's Episcopal Church in Newtown on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Flowers and signs of sympathy adorn the street leading to Sandy Hook Elementary School.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Claudia Urbiana and daughter Jocelyne Cardenas, left, hug outside of the entrance to the Sandy Hook school.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A makeshift memorial with flowers, stuffed toys and candles sit outside Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, Connecticut, on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A man bows his head as he stands at a makeshift memorial, outside Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown on Saturday, December 15.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – New Jersey resident Steve Wruble, who was moved to drive out to Connecticut to support local residents, grieves for victims at the entrance to Sandy Hook village in Newtown on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People attend a prayer service in Newtown on Saturday to reflect.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A mother hugs her children after paying tribute to the victims in Newtown on Saturday, December 15.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Newtown High School student Trevor Lopez stands outside of a church where residents have come to pray and reflect on Saturday

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Andrea Jaeger places flowers and a candle at a makeshift memorial outside a firehouse near Sandy Hook Elementary School on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – The U.S. flag flies at half-staff above the White House on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Ken Kowalsky and his daughter Rebecca, 13, embrace while standing at the end of the road leading to Sandy Hook Elementary School on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A woman puts a flower near crosses planted by Rio de Paz (Rio of Peace), in memory of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A woman sits during a service at the Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford, Connecticut on Friday, December 14.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Fans at the NBA game between the Utah Jazz and the Phoenix Suns participate in a moment of silence for the victims of the Newtown shooting on Friday in Phoenix.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – An overflow crowd listens to a church service held at the St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Newtown on December 14.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People gather for a prayer vigil at St. Rose Church on Friday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People gather for a vigil outside the White House in Washington following the Connecticut elementary school shooting on Friday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Candles burn as people gather for a vigil outside the White House.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Hartford, Connecticut, Mayor Padro Segarra speaks emotionally about the students and teachers who died earlier in the day at Sandy Hook Elementary School in nearby Newtown at a candlelight vigil at Bushnell Park in Hartford on Friday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Cynthia Alvarez is comforted by her mother, Lilia, as people gather for a prayer vigil at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People gather for a prayer vigil at St. Rose Church in Newtown.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People gather for a prayer vigil at St. Rose Church.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People gather inside the St. Rose Church to remember the shooting victims on Friday

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A woman bows her head during a vigil for the shooting victims at St. Rose Church.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People gather in the St. Rose Church for a memorial service Friday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Women comfort each other during the vigil at St. Rose Church.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A woman looks on during the vigil at St. Rose Church.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People hug outside of the Newtown United Methodist Church on Friday, near the site of the shootings at the Sandy Hook school.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A flag at the U.S. Capitol flies at half-staff after President Barack Obama ordered the action while speaking from the White House. Obama called for "meaningful action" in the wake of the school shooting.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Julie Henson of San Francisco joins other people outside the White House to participate in a candlelight vigil on Friday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Obama wipes tears as he makes a statement in response to the shooting on Friday.

Reaction to Newtown school killings – People gather outside the White House to participate in a candlelight vigil.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Supporters of gun control hold a candlelight vigil for victims of the shooting outside the White House.

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EXPAND GALLERY

Carver, who performed autopsies on seven of the victims, said the wounds he knew about were caused by a "long weapon." Asked by a reporter whether the rifle was the primary weapon, he responded, "Yes."

He spoke as police released a list of the names of ages of the victims. Twelve girls and eight boys were killed, all either 6 or 7 years old. The adults ranged in ages from 27 to 56, and included the school's principal, psychologist and at least two teachers.

Among those killed was Emilie Parker, 6.

"As the deep pain begins to settle into our hearts, we find comfort reflecting on the incredible person that Emilie was and how many lives that she was able to touch in her short time here on Earth," her father, Robbie Parker, told reporters, struggling to speak through tears.

He described his daughter as bright, creative and loving. She loved to draw pictures and try new things.

"Emilie's laughter was infectious and all those who had the pleasure to meet her would agree that this world is a better place because she has been in it," her father said.

Searching for answers in their deaths, major crime investigators police were combing "every crack and crevice" of the school.

They said they're finding some "very good evidence" there, and at the home of the shooter. Lanza's mother, Nancy, was killed at that house, authorities said.

"The detectives will certainly analyze everything and put a complete picture together of the evidence that they did obtain, and we're hopeful -- we're hopeful -- that it will paint a complete picture as to how and why this entire unfortunate incidence occurred," said Lt. J. Paul Vance, a spokesman for the Connecticut State Police.

Authorities, meanwhile, in Hoboken, New Jersey, were questioning Ryan Lanza, the suspected gunman's older brother, law enforcement sources said, though they did not label him a suspect. Lanza's father, Peter, who lives in Connecticut, was similarly questioned, one of the law enforcement officials said.

Peter Lanza released a statement Saturday expressing condolences to the families of victims.

"Our family is grieving along with all those who have been affected by this enormous tragedy. No words can truly express how heartbroken we are. We are in a state of disbelief and trying to find whatever answers we can," said the statement.

Two law enforcement sources said Adam Lanza lived with his mother. Contrary to early reports, they said, Nancy Lanza was not a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary.

Nancy Lanza was a gun collector and recently showed off a newly bought rifle to fellow Newtown resident Dan Holmes, who owns a landscaping business in the town.

Besides the three weapons found at the school, Adam Lanza also had access to at least three more guns, a law enforcement source said. Investigators recovered a .45-caliber Henry Repeating Rifle, a .22-caliber Marlin Rifle and a .30-caliber Enfield Rifle, though it's unclear where they were found, the source said.

Investigators believe Lanza killed his mother and then took her guns and made his way to the elementary school wearing black fatigues and a military vest, according to a law enforcement official.

According to Vance, Lanza forced his way into the school though he wouldn't say how or whether Lanza used weapons to do it.

Photos: Newtown school shooting 43 photos

Photos: Newtown school shooting43 photos

Newtown school shooting – Children in Newtown, Connecticut, return to school on December 18, 2012, four days after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

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Newtown school shooting – Connecticut State Police officers search outside St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, Connecticut, on Tuesday, December 16, after a threat prompted authorities to evacuate the building. Investigators found nothing to substantiate the reported threat, a police official said, declining to provide additional details. The church held Sunday services following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

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Newtown school shooting – Connecticut State Police officers walk out of St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church after the Newtown church received a threat December 16.

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Newtown school shooting – Firefighters attach black bunting to a fire truck as a memorial at the fire station down the street from the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Saturday, December 15.

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Newtown school shooting – Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner H. Wayne Carver II talks to the media about the elementary school shooting during a press conference at Treadwell Memorial Park on December 15.

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Newtown school shooting – Zulma Sein is hugged by a family member outside of the entrance to the Sandy Hook School on Saturday.

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Newtown school shooting – Police officers keep guard at the entrance to the street leading to the Sandy Hook Elementary School on Saturday, December 15.

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Newtown school shooting – Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance addresses the press on December 15.

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Newtown school shooting – Police officers stand at the entrance to the street leading to the Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 15.

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Newtown school shooting – Corinne McLaughlin, a student at the University of Hartford, bows her head during a candlelight vigil at Hartford, Connecticut's Bushnell Park on Friday, December 14, honoring the students and teachers who died at Sandy Hook Elementary School in nearby Newtown earlier in the day.

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Newtown school shooting – Distraught people leave the fire station after hearing news of their loved ones from officials on Friday.

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Newtown school shooting – Emergency workers stand in front of the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

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Newtown school shooting – A child and her mother leave a staging area outside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – Members of the media converge on December 14 in front of an apartment at 1313 Grand Street in Hoboken, New Jersey. The apartment is believed to be connected to the Connecticut elementary school shooting.

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Newtown school shooting – Faisal Ali, right, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, joins other people outside the White House on December 14 to participate in a candlelight vigil to remember the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

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Newtown school shooting – Connecticut State Police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance, center, briefs the media on the elementary school shootings during a press conference at Treadwell Memorial Park on December 14 in Newtown.

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Newtown school shooting – People weep and embrace near Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday, December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – A woman leans on a man as she weeps near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – President Barack Obama wipes a tear as he speaks about the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School during a press briefing at the White House on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – A woman weeps near the site of a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – A woman weeps near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – People comfort each other near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – A man takes in the scene near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – A young girl is given a blanket after being evacuated from Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – State police personnel lead children from the school.

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Newtown school shooting – Children wait outside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, after the shooting.

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Newtown school shooting – A boy weeps at Reed Intermediate School after getting news of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – FBI SWAT team members walk along Dickinson Drive near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – An aerial view of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – Connecticut State Troopers arrive on the scene outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – A Connecticut State Police officer runs with a shotgun at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – Police patrol the streets around Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – People try to deal with the shock of the attack outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – Connecticut State Police secure the scene of the shooting on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – People embrace outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – A man escorts his son away from Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – People take in the news outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – People line up to enter Newtown Methodist Church near the the scene of the shooting on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – A woman speaks with a Connecticut state trooper outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14.

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Newtown school shooting – The streets around Sandy Hook Elementary are packed with first responders and other vehicles.

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Newtown school shooting – A view of the scene at Sandy Hook Elementary School after the shooting.

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Newtown school shooting – A young boy is comforted outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14.

JUST WATCHED

Tragedy strikes at elementary school

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Student: I saw bullets going past

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Student: I saw bullets going past 02:37

PLAY VIDEO

Authorities said it's also not clear whether Lanza entered before or after 9:30 a.m., the time each day when the school would lock its doors as part of a security system introduced this year. Authorities say the first emergency call about the shooting came in at "approximately" 9:30 a.m. Friday.

Within minutes, 26 people had been killed with chilling efficiency, leaving only the one wounded survivor. The survivor, an adult, has not been named.

"She has been treated and she'll be instrumental in this investigation, as I'm sure you can understand," Vance said.

The massacre in Newtown is the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, behind the 2007 Virginia Tech mass shooting that left 32 dead.

"Stuff like this does not happen in Newtown," said Renee Burn, a teacher at another school in the town, which is roughly 75 miles northeast of New York City.

Until Friday, only one homicide in the past 10 years had been reported in the upscale community of expansive homes surrounded by woods, where many residents commute to jobs in Manhattan and the nearby Connecticut cities of Stamford and Hartford.

Flags were lowered to half-staff in a number of states, and vigils were held at houses of worship and at schools amid a national outpouring of grief.